Phytochemicals are chemical elements and compounds that are produced naturally within plants. As such, phytochemicals are deposited in various combinations and amounts within the different anatomical components of the plant, including roots, stalks, stems, leaves, seeds, and the fruit of the plant. Certain phytochemicals are considered responsible for basic physical characteristic properties of the host plant, including its color, odor, taste, texture, etc. Phytochemicals may also determine the nutritive and pharmacological properties of the plant. For centuries, specific phytochemical substances have been utilized in medical applications, either as processed plant components or extractions of plant components, without a full understanding or knowledge of the active chemical compounds.
Sorghum is a domesticated plant well known to man. It has been hybridized since early Egyptian times and is highly diversified in its varieties. As used herein, the terms “sorghum” and “milo” may be used interchangeably. In the United States, varieties of sorghum have few uses other than for animal feed or as a less expensive feed grain substitute for corn or wheat. In other parts of the world, particularly Africa and Asia, sorghum is used for flour and human food.
There are four major chemical classifications of phytochemical substances that have been found in sorghum plant components. These include 1) fats and oils, 2) pigments, 3) waxes, and 4) antioxidants. Each of these components may be useful and have significant value if removed or separated from the sorghum plant, as well as other non-sorghum plants.
One of the commercial applications for sorghum is its use as an extruded matrix product that may be used for various purposes. These may include uses as a construction component, an insulation material, or a packing material. In such extrusion, the sorghum seeds or berries must first be milled or processed to remove the hull and outermost seed layer from the seeds so that only the interior of the seed is used in forming the extrudable sorghum resin. The removed hull and outermost seed layer from the milling process, which may be in the form of a powder called “bran”, is typically a waste product heretofore having low or little value and may be used for such purposes as feed for livestock.
Because the removed bran, consisting of the hull and outermost seed layer, may contain significant amounts of the phytochemicals discussed above, methods for removing or separating these compounds from the bran can significantly increase its value. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to such methods.